NEW YORK | One World Trade Center | 1,776' Pinnacle / 1,373' Roof | 108 FLOORS

[deepen915]

Originally Posted by Totojuice

This literally just hit me. How the hell can you get rid of the chamfored corners of the BASE??? Sorry to be late to the party but that is just ridiculous. They've already poured the concrete, and those corners were chamfored to provide a smaller footprint, and thus a more secure base (further away from car traffic). Are they going to build out the corners to make a square???

exactly.. I don't understand these design changes for a multi-billion dollar skyscraper! these developers need to put their money where their mouths are and give the people what we expected!

[deepen915]

Originally Posted by CarlosV

DSC_0779 copy by Ceva321, on Flickr

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new row of glass......


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DSC_0783copy by Ceva321, on Flickr


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update



DSC_0003 copy by Ceva321, on Flickr

not bad! 15 windows added in 2 hours! Give us another update for the afternoon! I want to see!

[Traynor]

Originally Posted by NYguy

The spire was supposed to represent Liberty's upraised "torch".

Please don't correct everything I write. But allow me to correct you:

The Liberty Torch reference was for the previous design of the tower with the offset spire, when Libeskind and Childs collaborated. Not Childs' final design. Most people still make that mistake.


(image found here: http://ptrck.wordpress.com/2008/04/05/freedom-tower/ )

As well you will notice that I started my statement by saying "For Me" as in implying that was how I see the spire, as a lone candle. Not how the architect envisioned.

[Totojuice]

Originally Posted by NYguy

The spire was supposed to represent Liberty's upraised "torch".

Sorry NYguy, didn't mean to attribute my comments to your quote! Here's my response:

Exactly. It's the culmination of Lady Liberty's torch. It's the fire that eminates from the triangular base of the torch. Now we have a torch with no fire. Or rather, a grand torch with a plastic Bic lighter stuck on the top.

Originally Posted by Traynor

The Liberty Torch reference was for the previous design of the tower with the offset spire, when Libeskind and Childs collaborated. Not Childs' final design. Most people still make that mistake.

I disagree with the notion that Childs final design disregards the imagery of the Liberty Torch. In fact, I'd say it does tribute to Lady Liberty with more beauty and strength than Libeskind's original design or even the "collaboration" design with Childs. The upturned triangle reflecting the sun can easily be interpreted as a torch, and the spire (newly centered after Childs' redesign) is clearly the beautiful fire emanating from the torch. Which makes this antenna all the more offensive. Durstbag has essentially put the flame out of this soaring tribute.

[RockMont]

Makes no difference now. That design was absolutely horrible. Slanted rooftops. That worthless bird cage to take up the top third of the building, and that corkscrew twist. Now with the scale back of what would have been the spire, and now just an antenna, well it's what it is, and as far as I'm concerned, the rooftop will be the top of the building, not the antenna or spire, or whatever it will be called. I thought the scale back of that sucked too, but this building will be a lot better than Liebeskind's nightmare. At least that change was for the better.

[Otie]

Originally Posted by Totojuice

Are they going to build out the corners to make a square???

Yes, the erector is preparing teams to install the filling structure.

[Traynor]

It may remind you and others of Liberty's Torch, however nowhere on record has that reference been spoken of since Childs and Libeskind collaborated on their previous design. The Torch idea may be a mass consciousness holdover from the earlier iteration.

It also may very well be true that was still David Childs' intention, but he himself has never said so. He has spoken time and again about other aspects of the design but not specifically of the inspiration for the spire. (Which was actually designed by Kenneth Snelson on special appointment to Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_Snelson )

"Much has been said about the geometric shapes seen in Snelson's works. Looking up from the inside of "Needle Tower" one may see the Star of David. According to Snelson, his works are not symbolic and it's common to see six-pointed stars in his work. In "Needle Tower" the six pointedness comes from the natural geometry of the three compression struts that make up each layer. Sets of three alternate with left and right helical module they add up to six when you look upwards into the tower."
(From the Wikipedia article on Snelson's famous work "Needle Tower" : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Needle_Tower )

[RockMont]

Originally Posted by Otie

Yes, the erector is preparing teams to install the filling structure.

I love that.

[Totojuice]

Originally Posted by Otie

Yes, the erector is preparing teams to install the filling structure.

Thank Otie. I mean. wow.

Has anyone provided an explanation as to why this change was made? It seems like it would cost more money to build out four corners at this point, and it would create dead space. The plaza would lose space, while the lobby wouldn't gain an inch.

[marshall]

I'm glad that hideous off-center "liberty torch" design was scrapped. This tower has endured way too many re-hashings. David Child's vision should have been upheld and respected. If developers can step in at any time and totally mess with the architect's design, then what's the point? Perhaps the problem was the Port Authority being WAY too involved with this building. Well, at least the building will be 1368 feet the same as the old towers..Still, Childs should have fought for his intended spire design more. As for Durst, them saying that they scrapped the radome to save money is ridiculous. They should have known exactly what it would have cost from day 1. Not 5 years into the project!

Hopefully the PA will keep its nose out of 432 Park and in the future, developers won't steamroll over architect's designs to this extent.

[-Filipe-]

Originally Posted by marshall

I'm glad that hideous off-center "liberty torch" design was scrapped. This tower has endured way too many re-hashings. David Child's vision should have been upheld and respected. If developers can step in at any time and totally mess with the architect's design, then what's the point? Perhaps the problem was the Port Authority being WAY too involved with this building. Well, at least the building will be 1368 feet the same as the old towers..Still, Childs should have fought for his intended spire design more. As for Durst, them saying that they scrapped the radome to save money is ridiculous. They should have known exactly what it would have cost from day 1. Not 5 years into the project!

Hopefully the PA will keep its nose out of 432 Park and in the future, developers won't steamroll over architect's designs to this extent.

that design was hideous, and this building is 5 feet taller then the old at 1373

[CarlosV]

Originally Posted by deepen915

not bad! 15 windows added in 2 hours! Give us another update for the afternoon! I want to see!

well here it is....not much more


DSC_0003[1] by Ceva321, on Flickr

[Dave84]

I would normally say "now theres a face i haven't seen in a while" but i think . . . " Now theres a muscular toned torso I haven't seen for a while" would be more appropriate lol, Welcome back Traynor!

[Traynor]

Originally Posted by marshall

...Still, Childs should have fought for his intended spire design more...

David Childs has tried:

The spire, originally intended to be enclosed with a protective radome described as a "sculptural sheath of interlocking fiberglass panels", will instead remain an antenna. As such, the height of the tower may be officially reduced by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat from a symbolic 1,776 feet to the 1,368-foot roof height. Douglas Durst, the chairman of the Durst Organization, stated that the design change would save $20 million. However, the tower's architect,[Skidmore Owings & Merrill, strongly criticized the move. David Childs, the lead designer, stated: "Eliminating this integral part of the building's design and leaving an exposed antenna and equipment is unfortunate...We stand ready to work with the Port on an alternate design." After coming onto the project in 2010, the Durst Organization had proposed eliminating the radome to save costs, but was rejected by the Port Authority's previous executive director, Chris Ward. His September 2011 replacement, Patrick Foye, later changed the Port Authority's position. The decision is final, as stated by Douglas Durst: "(the antenna) is going to be mounted on the building over the summer. There's no way to do anything at this point."
(From the Wikipedia article on 1WTC found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom...Design_changes )

[Davidsam52]

Originally Posted by Traynor

David Childs has tried:

The spire, originally intended to be enclosed with a protective radome described as a "sculptural sheath of interlocking fiberglass panels", will instead remain an antenna. As such, the height of the tower may be officially reduced by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat from a symbolic 1,776 feet to the 1,368-foot roof height. Douglas Durst, the chairman of the Durst Organization, stated that the design change would save $20 million. However, the tower's architect,[Skidmore Owings & Merrill, strongly criticized the move. David Childs, the lead designer, stated: "Eliminating this integral part of the building's design and leaving an exposed antenna and equipment is unfortunate...We stand ready to work with the Port on an alternate design." After coming onto the project in 2010, the Durst Organization had proposed eliminating the radome to save costs, but was rejected by the Port Authority's previous executive director, Chris Ward. His September 2011 replacement, Patrick Foye, later changed the Port Authority's position. The decision is final, as stated by Douglas Durst: "(the antenna) is going to be mounted on the building over the summer. There's no way to do anything at this point."
(From the Wikipedia article on 1WTC found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom...Design_changes )

I have a question, and I know it's late in the game for this, but WHY did Chris Ward leave as head of the PA? He at least seemed to know how to cut through the BS and get things done, and also to do the RIGHT thing, such as stand up for the integrity of the spire when de-sheathing it was first proposed by the Dursts back in 2010. His successor, Pat Foye, just seems to be another typical politician and bureaucrat who is (has) caved in to the whims of the Durst Organization as well as presiding over other problems at the site - case in point- not a SINGLE additional square inch of the memorial plaza has been opened (or a single additional tree planted) since the 10-year anniversary of the attacks. Why is this???

[NewYorker2009]

Fuck Douglas Durst.

[Servo]

Originally Posted by Totojuice

This literally just hit me. How the hell can you get rid of the chamfored corners of the BASE??? Sorry to be late to the party but that is just ridiculous. They've already poured the concrete, and those corners were chamfored to provide a smaller footprint, and thus a more secure base (further away from car traffic). Are they going to build out the corners to make a square???

Well, the new corners won't really be adding any structural support to the building.

I'm pretty sure, if I remember correctly, they couldn't make the new cladding look good with the corners the way they were, so they opted to make the corners right angles.

[NewYorkDominates]

Vs.

[jd3189]

Originally Posted by Bill Ditnow

If NYC ever builds a tower similar to the Chicago spire, they should follow the design of 1 WTC's spire. If it doesn't show up on top of this tower, it might as well be its own.

[Totojuice]

Originally Posted by newyorkdominates

vs.

lofl.